Movie Review: Creed

Creed is the seventh installment of the Rocky film series, and it is possibly the best. Directed by Ryan Coogler, it stars Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Johnson, the late Apollo Creed’s son. Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky, who has finally retired from boxing. The gloves are handed to the next generation, and the Rocky franchise is only one movie late in doing so.

Even the most die-hard Rocky fan had trouble accepting Rock Balboa, the sixth movie in this franchise. It is difficult to believe a 60 year old man can go 15 rounds with the current heavy weight champion of the world.

That is not a problem in the movie Creed. The characters are believable and Rocky is finally aging. In fact, this Rocky Balboa incarnation is very human. The Adrian and Paulie characters have passed away, but the audience still feels their presence through Rocky.

Coogler and Aaron Covington penned the story with Stallone’s permission, and the script does a great job at capturing and recreating Rocky type chemistry. The film uses most of the same tactics as previous Rocky flicks, but from an updated point of view. The movie captures the eye-of-the-tiger from the very opening moment.

Mary Anne Creed is Apollo’s widow. She is arguably the most endearing character you will ever see on the big screen. Casting Phylicia Rashād to play her is very important in pulling this off. Her part is small, but relevant.

Tessa Thompson plays the love interest, Bianca. The audience roots for Adonis and Bianca to be together from the first second her face hits the screen. It is a brilliant decision to make her character a musician. This allows her character’s music to control the mood of the scene whenever she appears.

Bianca’s drive and vulnerabilities make her human. Every moment of her character is believable, which helps make Adonis and Bianca the perfect on screen couple. The audience easily falls in love with them, and realizes they should be together more than they do at times. They are made for each other, just as much as Rocky and Adrian.

The movie’s fight scenes are good. Adonis’ first big time fight is beautifully choreographed into what appears to be one camera shot. Coogler uses this technique several times throughout the movie and it works. They also do a good job of capturing Philly’s culture in 2015. One example is the fact that the Rocky statue no longer stands at the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

There are many events in this movie that will bring a smile to a Rocky fan’s face, including the big fight at the end. Every predictable moment is a moment that the viewer wants. The audience is all the way behind the Cinderella fighter that is in the unlikely position to shock the world. In keeping with Rocky tradition, there’s no telling who will win.

No Rocky fan wants to see Rocky pass away. Stallone talked about killing the character off in Rocky V, but it’s a good thing he didn’t. The Rocky character may indeed die one day. But for now he is still on the big screen, and this is the most human we’ve seen him since the first movie.

Rocky brought on a magical feeling from an unlikely underdog in 1977. Creed does the same in 2015.